Reading aloud for preschool children

Experts agree: reading aloud makes you smarter. When growing children are read to regularly, they are more successful at school. Parents can do a lot to help. While you snuggle up together on the sofa and immerse yourselves in foreign worlds, your child will also acquire important skills for kindergarten and school. Their language skills improve, their ability to concentrate is trained and they also learn to empathize with other people. We have put together some tips for you in this article. How to make reading aloud a feel-good time for parents and children.

• Reading aloud together creates a sense of security and closeness: Children like to look at picture books and listen to stories together in a cozy atmosphere. And it's often a time of relaxation for parents too.
• Reading aloud expands your child's vocabulary and ability to express themselves.
• Children gain more understanding for other children and people. They learn from their heroes and heroines about friendship, frustration and joys. This makes it easier to get along in groups.
• Reading aloud prepares children for the start of school: Children who have been read to have been shown to find it easier to learn to read and write at school later on.

Don't be shy if you never liked reading aloud in front of the class at school. You don't need professional training for quality time with your child! Here we have a few ideas for you on how to bring stories to life. You'll find that it's great fun:

• Play with your volume by making it very quiet at times and then louder again to match the text.
• Just adjust your voice once. Speak higher or lower, make appropriate noises.
• Include pauses, wait a moment and then continue reading.
• Tell freely about the picture and ask your child what they see.
• Curious questions are allowed at any time. Be pleased that the story appeals to your child and respond to your child before continuing with the story.

• Find a suitable time and make reading aloud a fixed ritual. Many families would be unthinkable without the "bedtime story". It can be a good opportunity for parents to catch their breath. At the same time, your child can cuddle up with mom or dad before going to sleep. The sofa or soft carpet can also be good places to read aloud. The main thing is cozy!
• How much time do you want to set aside? Children often can't get enough of being read to. That's why it's a good idea to set a time slot for reading aloud. If possible, no one should disturb you during this time. Make reading aloud your quality time together!
• Choose a book that is suitable for your child's age so that they can understand the content well.

As wonderful as reading aloud together is, sometimes there just isn't enough time. Fortunately, reading or listening doesn't have to be a complete waste of time. There is a large selection of audio stories for children on the internet. Here are some examples with stories of different lengths:

• Ohrenbär for children aged 3 and over (approx. six to ten minutes)
• Betthupferl for children aged 3 and over (five to ten minutes)
• The mouse to listen to for children aged 4 and over (60 minutes)